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Everyone loves a present so choosing your gift list should be a really enjoyable part of your wedding planning. Depending on your own wants and needs as a couple there are loads of options which don’t include a traditional gift list. Here’s five just to get you started.

Wedding Keepsake – notonthehighstreet.com

For a wedding list that’s a little bit different take a look at Notonthehighstreet.com which has loads of quirky and unique gifts that guests will be dying to buy you and that you and your home will love forever.

Make a request to the wedding team and you will be sent a beautiful pack, that includes a free wedding style book, a wedding list brochure and everything you need to know about the service, as well as an example of the invitation inserts (that are available free upon request).

Louise Boothe from Not on the High Street wedding team says “we also now have a great new feature within our gift list service which allows your friends and family to contribute money towards your gift list, giving you the choice and freedom to purchase higher-priced items or gifts of your choice after your wedding day”.

If you don’t need anymore ‘stuff’ then how about getting guests to ‘buy’ part of your honeymoon? Buy Our Honeymoon is the UK’s top online wedding list for dream honeymoons, who charge a one-off fee of £55 to manage your honeymoon experience gift list.

Your guests select any of the honeymoon experiences and activities you’ve listed, and leave you a personal message. They then pay the value of their gift to you directly, either into your own PayPal account, by cheque, or in person on the day of your wedding.

Buy Our Honeymoon

We caught up with Shelley Green from Buy Our Honeymoon, who told us that “couples can add absolutely anything from room upgrades and a romantic dinner to a day’s scuba diving or a helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon, whatever you want. You don’t have to have made any of your actual honeymoon arrangements prior to building your wedding list though— you can be as general or as specific as you wish. And if you get stuck, we’re happy to help with lots of suggestions”. You can try their website free for a week to see how it works and decide if it’s for you.

Smartbox is a unique gift concept which gives you the choice of up to 200 amazing different experiences. Inside a Smartbox there’s an illustrated guidebook with details of the options available and a voucher from your guests. All you have to do is book the experience and hand over the voucher as payment.

Bottom Drawer gives your guests the chance to add money to your online fund which you can then turn into a dream present. There’s loads to choose from including holidays, house and garden redesign or just receive vouchers for your favourite stores.

The Beyond Weddings Ltd gift service has a whole new take on wedding gift lists. Here you get the chance to work with an interior designer to improve your home on any scale or budget. Which means your guests can contribute to anything from your kitchen renovation to the re-upholstering of your much loved sofa!

Whatever you choose it’s like all your birthdays and Christmas’s have come at once – enjoy!

Last weekend when Joanne was busy with the blog and planning workshops I was sunning myself in the South of France. It was bliss. A few days of sun and long wine fuelled lunches was just what my hand needed to get a bit better. The splint did get lots of weird looks but at least it got me a fabulous seaview seat a few times so I’m not complaining.

Over one long lunch my husband muttered “oh god no here we go” when I spotted a wedding happening down of the street. Rushing off to take a look I watched the happy couple climb into a vintage car and take to the streets with lots of horns tooting and cheering all the way down the promenade. It seems even in Nice you’re not to posh to clap and cheer as the Bride and Groom drive past. Fabulous.

Next we took off to Monaco where another newly wed couple were climbing aboard their luxury yacht waving to everyone on the marina. With a beer costing around £13 a pint at Le Cafe de Paris in Monte Carlo though, you won’t find us mere mortals getting married there.

Safely back in the rain on Monday we saw the final choices of Bridesmaids dresses for a November wedding. Our favourite was a gorgeous Dessy dress. On Tuesday our feature fun showed how to be a wedding shoe showoff with shoe stickers by Nutmeg. On Thursday we took inspiration from the Royal Wedding and looked at hiring classic cars for your wedding ride. On Friday we shared a pre-wedding shoot by fabulous photographer, Kerry Ann Duffy. Watch out for the full wedding next week with the lovely Danielle and Chris who had an English Country Fair wedding.

Yesterday was the third part of our planning a vintage wedding special with vintage shoes galore. Next week it’s vintage wedding styling.

It’s my birthday this week and to celebrate it in style I’m off to Nice for the weekend later this month. I’ve been scouring the shops for the best summer shorts to wear whilst I’m sightseeing and now won’t be leaving these ones just to you honeymooners…

Everyone loves a present (none more so than me) so choosing your gift list should be a really enjoyable part of your wedding planning. Skipping round the shop floor of John Lewis shouting ‘I want one of those’ and beeping it into your handheld never fails to raise a smile.

Most guests are more than happy to buy you something from the gift list as it takes away any stress of choosing and wrapping a present, and has the added bonus of being sent directly to you.

However there are some unwritten rules that you might want to follow so as not to cheese off your guests. Firstly, the list should include gifts of differing values so guests can pick to suit their budget (anything from £50 – £150) and secondly, don’t even think about including a Playstation 3 or personal gifts like the latest GHD’s. Guests do not really want to spend their hard-earned cash keeping you entertained on Call of Duty (despite what the best man says).

Wedding Keepsake - notonthehighstreet.com

For a wedding list that’s a little bit different take a look at Notonthehighstreet.com which has loads of quirky and unique gifts that guests will be dying to buy you, and that you and your home will love forever.

Rose Mirror - notonthehighstreet.com

Make a request to the wedding team and you will be sent a beautiful pack, that includes a free wedding style book, a wedding list brochure and everything you need to know about the service, as well as an example of the invitation inserts (that are available free upon request).

Wedding Keepsake Box - notonthehighstreet.com

Louise Boothe from Not on the High Street wedding team says “we also now have a great new feature within our gift list service which allows your friends and family to contribute money towards your gift list, giving you the choice and freedom to purchase higher-priced items or gifts of your choice after your wedding day”.

If you don’t need anymore ‘stuff’ and the gift list really isn’t for you, then how about getting guests to ‘buy’ part of your honeymoon?

Your guests select any of the honeymoon experiences and activities you’ve listed, and leave you a personal message. They then pay the value of their gift to you directly, either into your own PayPal account, by cheque, or in person on the day of your wedding.

Buy Our Honeymoon

We caught up with Shelley Green from Buy Our Honeymoon, who told us that “couples can add absolutely anything from room upgrades and a romantic dinner to a day’s scuba diving or a helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon, whatever you want. You don’t have to have made any of your actual honeymoon arrangements prior to building your wedding list though— you can be as general or as specific as you wish. And if you get stuck, we’re happy to help with lots of suggestions”.

You can try their website free for a week to see how it works and decide if it’s for you.

It’s like all your birthdays and Christmas’s have come at once – enjoy!

Planning a wedding doesn't have to be exhausting and stressful. You should love every minute of it - but if you feel like you've lost your way and need some help then you have found the right place.

If you are getting married in and around Kent then use our knowledge of the wedding world, alongside tips, hints and inspiration from real brides and those in the industry, to kick start your wedding plans, get you going and get you married!